Volvo's LA Auto Show Stand Won't Have A Single Car On It

Volvo intends to make a statement at this year's LA show by having a stand bereft of cars...
Volvo's LA Auto Show Stand Won't Have A Single Car On It

Manufacturers are falling out of love with the motor show. In the Internet age, they’re looking increasingly irrelevant, and you only have to look at the huge list of Paris Motor Show dropouts as an indication of this.

Volvo was one car maker that chose not to bother attending this year, but the Swedish company will be at the LA Auto Show. Although there’ll be something different about the stand: you won’t find a single car on it.

Instead, there’ll be a sculpture slap bang in the middle that states the obvious: “This Is Not A Car”.

Want to see the S60 - the first Volvo to be built in the USA - at the LA Auto Show? Tough luck...
Want to see the S60 - the first Volvo to be built in the USA - at the LA…

Speaking about the decision, Volvo’s product strategy boss Mårten Levenstam said:

“By calling the trade show Automobility LA, the organisers have recognised the disruption affecting our industry. We want to demonstrate that we got the memo and start a conversation about the future of automobility. So instead of bringing a concept car, we talk about the concept of a car. We will not win the ‘car of the show’ award this year, but we are comfortable with that. Because this is not a car show.”

Volvo's LA Auto Show Stand Won't Have A Single Car On It

On the one hand, this seems like quite a shrewd decision. Volvo clearly doesn’t have any new products to reveal at the show and generate column inches, so this is an excellent way to generate publicity while appearing to be at the cutting edge of automotive thinking. On the other, we can’t help but wonder if it’s a shame the company isn’t using this major US auto show to celebrate the S60, its first car to be made in the country.

The stand won’t be completely empty, though. Volvo will showcase various “interactive demonstrations of connectivity services,” including its in-car delivery and car sharing initiatives.

The LA Auto Show will be open to the public from 30 November.

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Comments

Pagz777

This is stupid

11/21/2018 - 18:05 |
5 | 0
🎺🎺thank mr skeltal

LA Auto Show

this is not a car show

11/22/2018 - 07:15 |
3 | 0
maurotehsilva

I think it’s more, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. If you want to showcase something new in an autoshow, and in the article’s case Volvo’s S60, then yes they could have done that since it would have been much better banter for them if they still intend to sell in the U.S.

11/22/2018 - 15:05 |
2 | 0
Advanced Handling Flags

They were doing so well before they decided to become a ‘sustainable mobility solution.’

11/22/2018 - 16:22 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Too many ways to interpret this.

11/23/2018 - 06:59 |
0 | 0